Why has it been so difficult to achieve meaningful solutions to global warming?

These contrarians downplay and distort the evidence of climate change, demand policies that allow industries to continue polluting, and attempt to undercut existing pollution standards.

This barrage of misinformation misleads and confuses the public about the growing consequences of global warming — and makes it more difficult to implement the solutions we need to effectively reduce the man-made emissions that cause global warming.

Together with its members and supporters, UCS actively fights misrepresentations of climate science and provides sound, science-based evidence to set the record straight, including resources to help you communicate the real facts about global warming.

Holding fossil fuel companies accountable

Major fossil fuel companies have known for decades that their products—oil, natural gas, and coal—cause global warming. Their own scientists told them so more than 30 years ago. In response, they decided to deceive shareholders, politicians, and the public—you!—about the facts and risks of global warming.

These companies should immediately stop funding climate deception. They should bear their fair share of responsibility for the damage caused by their products.

The Climate Deception Dossiers

For nearly three decades, many of the world's largest fossil fuel companies have knowingly worked to deceive the public about the realities and risks of climate change. They continue to do so today. Their deceptive tactics are now highlighted in The Climate Deception Dossiers—collections of internal company and trade association documents that have either been leaked to the public, come to light through lawsuits, or been disclosed through Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests. Addition examples of deception can be found in our infographic, Climate Science vs. Fossil Fuel Fiction.

CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC are the most widely watched cable news networks in the U.S. An analysis of 2013 coverage shows that the accuracy of climate science coverage varies significantly by network — and that all of them can and should take steps to improve.

Exposing the fossil fuel industry's disinformation playbook

In this interactive feature, UCS reveals the secret tactics used by the fossil fuel industry to spread disinformation and delay action on climate change — the very same tactics used by Big Tobacco for years to mislead the public about the dangers of smoking.

Calling out Fox News for misleading coverage of climate science

Photo: Desdemona Burgin

Millions of Americans get information about climate science from the Fox News Channel, yet a 2012 UCS snapshot analysis found that representations of climate science on Fox News Channel were misleading 93 percent of the time.

Showing how the news media help the fossil fuel industry spread disinformation

Photo: Bloomimage/corbis

A UCS investigation showed that the U.S. news media routinely fail to inform the public about the fossil fuel industry funders behind climate change contrarian think tanks. From 2011 - 2012, two-thirds of stories from eight top news organizations did not identify the fossil fuel industry funding of eight prominent climate contrarian groups.

Resources for effectively communicating climate science

You can help fight misinformation about global warming by effectively communicating the facts about climate science, whether to your friends, your community, the media, or directly to policy makers.

UCS offers a range of resources to help you improve your science communication skills and develop effective techniques for presenting information about global warming, including a series of webinars designed to provide you with useful tools and best practices for talking about global warming and understanding how people perceive and take in information.

We Need Your Supportto Make Change Happen

We can reduce global warming emissions and ensure communities have the resources they need to withstand the effects of climate change—but not without you. Your generous support helps develop science-based solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.